Car in the spotlight: Lamborghini Huracan Performante

Welcome to our regular ‘Car in the Spotlight’ feature, and a big thank you to Steve Loughton, for providing us at ‘My Car Heaven’ such a fascinating insight into buying and owning this exceptional car, his 2018 Lamborghini Huracan Performante.

Owning or driving a Lamborghini is many petrolheads dream to do at some point in their life. I don’t want to offend any Ferrari owners but legend Frank Sinatra once said: “You buy a Ferrari when you want to be somebody. You buy a Lamborghini when you are somebody.”

I for one would love to own a Lamborghini. In my dreams I’d love a Miura, Diablo, Aventador (Miura Edition) or 400 GT. Whether I ever do own a Lamborghini, who knows, but that’s some of the joy of being a petrolhead, we can pine, fantasize, dream of the cars we aspire to own, even if it is not realistic.

Prices of some Lamborghini’s have sky rocketed, so anytime I do think I could maybe step into this world purchase prices prohibit me, then also at the back of my mind I fear the astronomical maintenance bills I may incur. Anyway, the point of the car in the spotlight feature is to get the lowdown from an owner, to help people like me and you that may or fantasize about owning a Lamborghini to know what is like warts and all

Anyway back to the Lamborghini Huracan Performante. It may be a goal of yours to one day own a car like this or a pipe dream for many due to the cost of purchase and cost of running and maintaining. So it is always wonderful to get an insight from a fellow car connoisseur that owns one of these great cars. What do they love about their car and why did they choose that particular brand or car model? Is it as costly to run the car as one would think? Let’s find out, read on…

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A short history on the Lamborghini Huracan Performante

The Lamborghini Huracan Performante is the Huracan re-engineered in its entirety, as regards its weight, engine power, chassis and above all by introducing an innovative system of active aerodynamics: ALA. The use of the awarded Forged Composites®, a shapable forged carbon fibre material patented by Automobili Lamborghini, is a real nice touch and it contributes to make the vehicle even lighter in weight.

6:52.01 Nurburgring lap time (if you take Nordschleife comparisons seriously, that’s 5secs better than a Porsche 918 Spyder could manage). 0-62mph is over in just 2.9sec, putting the Performante in with some very expensive sub-3 company. But if you really want to know how fast this car is, the 0-124mph claim of 8.9sec perhaps paints a more graphic picture.

Priced at £215,000 new (without options).

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An Owners viewpoint

“I bought my one owner Lamborghini Huracan Performante in early February 2020. Little did I know that just a couple of weeks later we would go into our first nationwide lockdown due to Covid 19.

In fact, I drove the car straight to Mulgari in Bracknell for a full PPF and when I got it back, basically rolled it into the garage and left it.

This is my second Lamborghini as I owned a Gallardo Superleggera (SL) for just about 4 years before this model. I traded the SL against the Performante which probably cost me a bit of money, but importantly meant I wouldn’t have to endure an endless stream of tyre kickers at the house and the financial angst of filling the agreed price gap. I own the car so no contracts or balloon payments.

I had tried a specialist garage SOR with a previous car some years previously,  but it was an unsatisfactory experience. There was no ‘Collecting Cars’ auction at the time so a trade in was the best option for me. Drive in and then drive out.”

What do you love the most about your car?

“I love its presence on the road. The SL was probably a purer shape, but the Performante looks more purposeful, particularly in the Verde Mantis colour.

This model has a full black alcantara interior finish with coloured stitching and the Forged Composites carbon fibre accents inside and on the rear wing are exquisite.

The trademark Lamborghini V10 produces 630 bhp, so more than adequate to make the car very swift on the open road, but probably more important for me is the instant torque available for overtaking and twisty roads.

It is a relatively rare car, so turns heads and never fails to raise smiles and waves from young and old.“

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Why did you buy this particular car, as opposed to another model or manufacturer?

“Impulse. I saw it advertised at Bramley Motor Cars near Guildford (only 15 miles or so from my home), went to see it and knew it was the next car.

I had looked at a few other manufacturer’s options, but it’s hard to replace the cachet of owning and driving a Lamborghini.”

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What was the purchase price of the car, and what is its current value?

“In round numbers the car cost the first owner £250k and I bought it when it was just under 2 years old with 5,500 miles. Suffice it to say he took the depreciation and I saved around 30%. Last year it was valued by the Lamborghini Club UK at about £10k more than I paid for it. I have Covid to thank for that, but it’s probably conservatively worth what I paid for it.”

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How much does it cost to service and tax?

“Because my car is out of warranty I use a specialist independent rather than a main dealer. My preferred choice is Autofficina in Ewell. They are passionate about what they do, knowledgeable and bring more of an enthusiast’s flavour to the servicing experience. Of course, their charges are slightly more modest too. Cost for an average service is around £1500.00 and road fund licence is £570.00 per year and I have a tracker which is £300.00 per year.

I use the Lamborghini Club UK insurance broker, Locktons, and that costs £1500.00 per year including comp cover on driving any other car and 90 days in Europe per year.”

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How does it feel like to drive?

“Simplicity itself. On start up the default gearbox mode is auto which I swap to manual (paddle) as soon as I’m out of the garage and on the drive. Auto is fine for heavy stop start traffic conditions, for example, the busy M25.

The car has great visibility all round, even out of the back. It also has parking sensors and a rear camera. It can be as docile as you wish and will change into the highest gear at 30+ mph. This means you can drive gently to warm it up and in traffic it’s very easy to drive. It is low and quite wide though so always bear that in mind.

It’s fast in the lowest gearbox Strada (road) setting, but picks up even more noise and urgency in the second Sport mode. This also alters the way the 4WD system directs the power, so best to understand that fully before exploring all the power. Corsa is track only and switches off some of the safety features such as traction control.

It’s a very reassuring drive and is capable of far more than I am good enough to get out of it, so I always feel relaxed and like there is plenty more power available if needed.”

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How often do you drive it?

“I drive it as often as makes good sense, by which I mean I try to stay away from very short journeys or where I might have to leave it parked in difficult circumstances.

I’ve done about 10,000 miles in the 3 years I’ve owned it which would have been more if not for repeated lockdowns which scuppered European trips due to different rules and booking hotels, etc.”

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Has it been on any eventful journeys? Please share.

“I had to cancel 2 trips due to Covid, but in 2021 my son and I did the Borders 500 which gave us a real chance to experience life in the car over an extended period.

Last year we drove to Imola in Italy via Reims, Dijon and Nice. We enjoyed some laps of the circuit when we got down there and the car lived up to expectations.

It’s not uncomfortable to drive all day, but you need a break every few hours. There is more than sufficient room for a couple of sports bags in the front which can be supplemented by the shelf behind the seats.

We are planning a trip to the Stelvio later this year.”

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How do you look after the car?

“It’s not a garage queen. I keep it clean, particularly inside which means positively NO drinking or eating inside. With the full PPF I use a simple shampoo, sponge and leather.”

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Is there another classic or supercar that you’d like to buy, and why?

“I have a hankering for a V12 Ferrari but if/ when the Huracan goes I will probably replace it with a couple of classics. An Alfa GTV and a Lotus Elan maybe.

Apart from the V12, simplicity is beginning to appeal more to me and our roads are increasingly unsuitable.”

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What advice do you have for anyone looking to buy this model of car?

“As usual with this kind of car, it’s best to have it checked carefully by a specialist and/or buy from a main dealer with a good reputation. Check on the PistonHeads forums too, there is a wealth of knowledge to be shared on there.

If any reader is interested in buying a similar car I am only too happy to let them come and see it or have a good chat over the telephone.”

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How does it compare to newer models, or other cars you’ve driven?

“I haven’t driven a newer Lamborghini, but I did have an extended test in a Ferrari Roma which was appealing.  Maybe when I get older I will invest in something more sensible, but not just yet.”

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How is the current market for this car, and how do you see this evolving?

“I think the current market is strong. I don’t believe the car has devalued massively since I owned it. It has an n/a engine which seems to count for a lot with enthusiasts at the moment. I am not particularly concerned with the value overall as I own it, so there’s no end of contract gap to fill.”

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Is the car a keeper or can you see a time that you’d sell the car to another custodian?

“Great question. I normally keep these kind of weekend cars for 4/5 years, so I have a bit to go yet but yes, I would move it along if the right alternative caught my eye. I am mostly unsentimental about my cars – when I decide to move them on, they’re gone.”

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So, there you have an owners view on his car, ownership and more. A big thanks to Steve for telling us all about his Lamborghini Huracan Performante. I love the car and it’s in the best colour for sure (in my opinion.

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Would you like your car featured in our ‘Car in the Spotlight’ Series?

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